Clerestories in Alexandria

Details

Categories

Renovations & Extensions

Location

Alexandria (Sydney, Australia)

Description

Carron & Stuart’s House

From the street, it was a boring, old, one-storey brick terrace house, but now: hovering over the roof is an unusual, thoroughly modern, curved roof, dormer window. Inside, past the staid existing bedroom, the Entry Hall beckons with a sparkling glass brick wall, curving to an explosion of stairs. kitchen and living spaces. These promise excitement, with clerestory windows, a courtyard and light shaft bringing light and ventilation to this land-locked site.

Key Features

Narrow block, East/West orientation with houses crowding the North and South boundaries.

Only the existing front Veranda, Bedroom, Entry Hall and side brick walls remain.

Hand-made Mexican terracotta floor tiles, sporting imprints of dog paws and chicken feet, run from the Entry, through the house, to the back fence.

At the end of the Entry Hall, a curved glass brick wall – containing Bathroom with a light shaft to roof – opens to Stairs, built over Laundry and storage cupboards.

A North-side courtyard brings light and ventilation to a Kitchen with flat ceiling. Then a two-storey space, with stained timber, sloping ceiling, bursts over the Dining and Living area, where a 6m long audio/video credenza, floats off the North wall.Above the lowered sides, sloping roofs are setback 900mm from both North and South side boundaries, and support the sloping central roof.Triangular clerestory windows separate the roofs.

Multi-folding timber framed glazed doors open to the Backyard with protection provided by a fixed glass awning and retractable canvas awning.Timber banquettes are integrated with hidden BBQ and garbage cupboards.

At the end, a timber deck hides a recessed spa.The back fence, with gate to rear Lane, features timber slats, brick piers and Corten panels.

First Floor

At the top of the Stairs there’s a gallery, with Bathroom and the light shaft connecting to the roof.The main Bedroom at the front overlooks the roof and street.A back Bedroom with folding timber louvre doors overlooks the Dining/Living space and the sloping ceiling with clerestory windows, and has opening windows to the rear and side Courtyard.

Roof

The curved roof, crawling over ridge line, is setback 900mm from both sides, with an East-facing, glass louvre, Clerestory window. A skillion roof, with skylights – over the Bath and Stairs – breaks the geometry of the front and back, curved roofs.The West-facing, glass louvre Clerestory window, under the back curved roof, joins up with the rear sloping roof.There are also lower, roofs, side-sloping from the North and South Clerstory windows to boundaries.